Starting or cranking mechanism for explosive-engines.



R. S. FOOTE, STARTING 0R CRANKING MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED APRQZB, 1911.

1,000,90. I Patentd Aug. 15,1911.

2 SHEETS-RESET 1.

INVENTOH fwsfwr; By 1 I I r ATTORNEY R. s. FOOTE. STARTING 0B GRANKING MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28, 1911. I

Patented Aug, 15,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. v

Y ATTOR/VL'Y UNITED sfra'rns PATENT oFFioE.

ROBERT- -S. FOOTE, OF PIiAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

STARTING OR GRANKING MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern;

' Be it known that 1, ROBERT S;- Foo'rn, a

citizen of the United States, residing in'the city of Plainfield, in the State "of-New ersey, have invented new and-useful Improve ments in Starting or GrankingMchanisms for .Explosive En'gines," ofwh'i'chthe 01 lowing 1s aspecifictation.

l is;

."The invention consists 1n the novel feaa starting or cranking 'mechanismof-improved construction applicable tothe shafts of -the various types 'of -explosive-engines employed'olr automobiles,v launches and the like, which, while adapted for use in :efiectingthe rotation of thesha'ft and securing the required compression, is possessed of novel safety features for preventing a pre- Y quently expressed, from'reversingthecrank Q mature explosionora F kick-back, as freand injuring the operator or causinginjury to the mechanism. 1

-The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had'to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a starting mechanism embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the same, the section being on the dotted line 2-2 of Fig; 5; Fig. 3 is a'detached edge view of a rotary disk constituting one feature of the mechanism; Fig.4 is a vertical section through the mechanism-on the dotted line 4-4 ofFig. 5; Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the mechanism taken at -.a

right angle to. the section of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a detached edge view of a friction ring constituting one feature of the mechanlsm.

' The mechanism constituting my inven= tion comprises a sleeve 1.0 adapted at its inner end to be applied on the usual movtuw member or brak'e-disk12 freely mount mechanism from dirt and the like.

Patented Aug. 1 5, 1911. Application filed April'28, 1911. Serial No. 623,911.

edon'the sleeve 10 and confined within a chamber formed within the casing. 11, a disk plate 13 keyed on the sleeve 10 and havlng at one part 'ofits periphery a projection -14 affording a shoulder to be engaged by? a pawl hereinafter referred to,a'crank 15 pivotally' mounted on the outer end 'of the sleeve '10 and detachably securedthereon by means of-anut 16, and apawl 17. pivotally secured. to the crank 15 and arranged. in the vertical plane of the disk 13 so as to engage the/shouldertthereon furnished by the proecti n 14, as shown in Fig.2. The cham- -ber formed within the casing 11 mayand preferably" will be closed by means of a ca 18 which is free to rotate with the era L5 and-shields the working parts of the The sleeve 10 is formed witha key-way .100 (Fig. 5) enabling it to be keyed to the short clutch section orextension 101- of an engine-shaft, and said sleeve is provided with a longitudinal rod 19 having :an inner head 20 and an outer head .21. The rod 19- extends' freely through a longitudinal opening in theouter endof the sleeve 10 and between the head 20 thereon and an annular shoulder formed on said sleeve is confined a 26 in close relation to the outwardly projecting flange or rim 23 of the-casing 11 and having a series of corresponding recesses 27 which, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, incline outwardly from their rear to thein forward ends, thereby creating in connection with the annular runway 24L chambers of decreasing depth toward'their forward ends, or the ends which are forto receive the balls 25, one ball being in each of said recesses. The disk 12,1nay rotate in a forward or clockwise direction with the crank, the balls 25 at such time traveling along therunway 2a with said disk, but

'sald balls 25 on any reverse impulse imparted to said disk will become wedged between the disk-and casing 11;and.0'peratefas ward during the proper rotation of the. disk, I

{stands in the path of the pawl 17 and dur- "ing' the. forward turning of the crank 10' is engaged by the forwa rd end of said pawl .a 'braketo hold -disk stationary. The

balls mayonly travel freely with the disk '12 when they are in the deeper portionsofttherecesses 27 and drawn along by the back walls'of said recesses. The disk 12 .is

formed on one face near its periphery with .a' laterally project-mg shoulder 28 which and travels with its'disk 12 therewith. The shoulder .28 has an undercut recess 29 to freceive a nose 30on the forward end of the i pawl 17 and retain said pawl in operative "ably formed with a series-0f holes 3.6 through 2.3 projection 14 affording a shoulder toreceive the lower forward edgeof the awl relation to the disk 13 and against the pro jectionlet thereon. The disk112 is-prefer- :it for the purpose of enabling the easingll [to belconveniently fastened by screws to the, .20

17 In order to'preserve therelationo the shoulder 28 and projection-71.4 to each other 30'- sleeve 10 between the disks-12, 13 a ring 31 under normal conditions, I-provide on the havin a series 'ofispri'nglips 32 bent in opposite directions therefroni'. The ring 31 fyisillustratedmore-clearly.in Figs. 4 and6 and operates as a friction device topreserve a normal relat-ion of the disk 12 with the disk 13 'or, in other words, to reventthe' disk 12 from having a forwar movement '17 is provided with aspring-pressed pin 34.

due to vibration orotherwise tending to carry its shoulder 28 from the' pawl 17 and in advance of the projection 14: on the disk 13.

The pawl 17 is pivotally mounted. upon bolt or the like 33 'carried by the crank 1 5-,

, pin 34 'is to retain the pawl 17. with a spring pressure againstthedisk 13, and said. pin 34 onany reverse movement of the'disk 13 andsaid-pawh as shown Fig. 2, normally engages the projection 14.- on the disk 13 and the shoulder'28 on: the disk 12.- The pawl whose outer end impinges against the rim of the'cap 18. The ten ency of the springwillon the escape of the pawl from the shoulder'28 allow the pawl to turn outwardly from 'said disk so :as to, permit the passage by it of the projection ,14 thereon,

, thereby enablingv the disk to rotate on its reverse motion, should occasion render that action necessary, without said disk c'om-. municating its-motion through the pawl 17 to the crank 15,;whereby the latter is en abled to remain stationary on such reverse motion of the disk 13 withthe engine-shaft.

The head 20 on the plunger-rod 19 may varyin thickness and the intentionis that it will, by the-spring 22, belightly pressed against the outer end of the usual movable extension or clutch part 101 of the engineshaft, confined in and keyed to the sleeve- 10. W'hen it'is desired to couple the movable extension or clutch part of the engine-- shaft to the main 'partthereof,-the-rod '19 will be pressedinwardly to efiectsuch engag'ement,iand thereupon the crank 15 may .be turned to rotate said shaft and start the engine. The rod 19 is shown in its normal outer position or the 'one it would-occupy 'in the non-operating condition I of the crank 15. a

largely be understood from the description hereinbefore presented. When it is desired to start or crank thejengine, the rod 19 will bejpressed inwardly to effect the engagm'entof the mechanism with the engine-shaft, and

thereupon the crank 15 will-be turned as usual. The forwardmovement of the crank 15 causes the pawl 17 to rotate the disks 12, 13 together and the movement of the disk 13 is imparted to the engine-shaft,

while the disk 12 on its rotation serves :through' the shoulder"28:to keep the pawl in engagement with the projection. 14: on said disk 13. In the event, during thecrank- '7 ing, of a premature explosion or kick-back and the sudden reversal of the engine-shaft, saidshaft will then reversethe movement ofthe disk 13, but this will not result in a reversal-of the crank 15 since under such The operation of the mechanism will' condition said disk will almost immediately ,cause the pawl 17 to leave the shoulder-28 and turn 'outwardly,;with the result that the disk 1 3 and engine-shaft may rotate freely in their reverse action without affecting the crank 15, which is not keyed but pivot-ally 'mounted or swiveled-on the sleeve 10. The disk 12 will not follow the disk 13 on the reverse inovementof the latter, being pre- '-ven ted from so doing by the action of the balls'25 and the surfaces confining them.

Izdonot limit-my invention to all of the details of form and construction showniand described nor otherwise than'as may be-in- Y .dicated by the claims.

, What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Pa-tent, is-

1. A starting mechanism for connection with'the shaft of an explosive engine cornprising a member affording a circular runway, a coiiperating member having aseries of, inclined recesses facing said runway, and a series of rollers, as balls, in said runway "and recesses, one of said members being stationary and the other freely rotary, com-.

bined withaplate connected with the movable exten'sionof the engine-shaft and having-a shoulder thereon, a shoulder onsaid rotary memberto coiiperate with the shoulder on-sa-id plate, a'crank, a pivoted pawl the shoulder on said rotary carried by the crank in normal engagement to rotatesaid rotary'member and said plate with the engine-shaft and to release said plate on a reverse mpvernent of said shaft, member having an undercut recess to receive the nose of said pawl, and said pawl being provided with means normally pressing it against said plate,

and means for moving said movable extension into engagement with the engineshaft; substantially'as set forth.

2. A starting mechanism for connectionwith the shaft of an explosive engine com-4- prising a member affording a circular run way, 'a cooperating member, having aseries of inclined recesses facing-said runway, "and a series of rollers, as balls, in said 'runwayandrecesses, one of said members-being stationary and the other freely rotary, com,- bined with a plate connected with the movable extension -of the engine-shaftgandhaV- ing a shoulder thereon, a shoulder on said rotary member to cooperate with theIshoulder on 'saidplate', a crank, a ivotedpawl carried by the crank'in norma engagement with both of said-shoulders and adapted on the forward turning movement of the'crank to rotate said rotary member and said plate with the engine-shaft and to release said plate on a reverse movement of said shaft, said plate and rotary member facing each other and said mechanism' beingyprovided with means frictionally but not rigidly binding said plate and rotary member together, and means for causing said movsaid shaft, said rotary able extension to engage the engine-shaft; substantially as set forth. 3. A starting mechanism for connection prising a sleeve for application to the movable extension of said shaft, arigid casing member having a lateral circular flange affording a runway, a cooperating rotary diskmember having a laterally projected circular flange within and concentric with the flange on said rigid member and formed with'a series of inclined recesses facing runway,' a series of rollers, as balls, in said runway and recesses, a plate rigidly connected with said sleeve and having a shoulder thereon, a shoulder on said rotary member to cooperate with the shoulder on said plate, a crank pivoted on said sleeve, a pivengagement with both of said shoulders an adapted on the forward turning movement and said'plate with the engine-shaft and release said plate on 'a'reverse movement of member and said plate being in face to face relation with each oth er,-a friction ring between and engaging the facing sides of said rotary member and plate, and a plunger arranged to force said movable extension into engagement with the engine-shaft; substantially as set forth.

ROBERT s. FOOTE.

Witnesses:

MARY C. A. Foo'rn,

NELsoN Runyon;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0.

with the shaft of an explosive engine comsaid of the crank to rotate said rotary member; 0

oted pawl carried by the crank in normal 

